Articles in
December 2011

AU prediction and today’s other bowls

Exciting five or six days of bowls coming up,. It’ll be interesting to see how Chiz’s defense plays against Virginia and if Malzahn’s offense can light it up in his farewell game for the Tigers. AU needs to win and then lock up some good recruits in the next month and a week and finish off what has been a tough season in some regards for the Tigers. Chiz also has a couple of coordinators to hire. Should be an interesting month for Auburn in January. Here are some quick predictions for the upcoming bowl games today. Hope you enjoy them. Will have New Year’s Day bowls on the blog tomorrow. Will be on top of  the national championship game this coming week. Some big games this weekend, too, in the NFL as it prepares for the postseason. Will have more on that this week. And there have been some amazing games in the NBA so far. College basketball starts getting very interesting with conference play kicking in. Been some interesting non conference games so far. Watched Inidana beat Kentucky at the buzzer on a three by Shades Valley’s Christian Wattford. That was an awesome game. There have been some fun ones to watch and looking forward to the 2012 season. Can ‘Bama make it to the tourney? Can Auburn improve this year under Tony Barbee and at least get to the NIT? A lot to look forward to in 2012, starting with the bowl games beginning today. Here are predictions for today’s bowl games.
Record: 90-41

Today, Dec.31

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, Houston; Northwestern (6-6) vs. Texas A&M (6-6) ; 11 AM CT, ESPN

A&M gets ready for SEC ball in 2012. I love Northwestern because they require stellar academics as well as athletics. Like their coach, Pat Fitzgerald, and their offense to get it done.

Northwestern 34, A&M 31

Hyundai Sun Bowl, El Paso; Georgia Tech (8-4) vs. Utah (7-5): 1 PM CT, CBS

Tech 31, Utah 28

AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Memphis; Cincinnati (9-3) VS. Vandy (6-6): 2:30, ABC

Like my ‘Dores to get their second bowl win in four years in an exciting offensive game in the River City. Vandy’s defense does enough and gets a turnover or two and Jordan Rodgers and Bibb County’s Zac Stacy roll up some offense both on the ground and through the air. James Franklin, Vandy’s coach, is a stud.

Vandy 34, Cincy 28

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, San Francisco; Illinois (6-6) vs. UCLA (6-7); 2:30 PM CT., ESPN

Like the Illini here. UCLA got smoked by Oregon and can’t play much defense, though they’re pretty good on offense.

Illini 37, UCLA 30

Chick-fil-A Bowl, Atlanta; AU (7-5) vs. Virginia (8-4); 6:30 PM CT, ESPN

I think AU will respond here with Chiz taking over the defense after Ted Roof left and offense will play well under Malzahn in his final hurrah on the Auburn sideline. Virginia a pretty good team which beat Florida State, but I like the Tigers as they try to get some momentum headed into the 2012 season. Need to really recruit after this game, to lock in some players for the future. Good recruiting class, but lost a key guy in running back T.J. Yeldon to Alabama. Need to get the momentum back. This would be a good start.

Review of the game tomorrow.

AU 31, Virginia 21

Will have rest of bowl games, including big New Years’ Day bowls on the blog tomorrow. Have a great day and enjoy some football.

Wow, what a week; Saturday’s bowl predictions

Couldn’t ask for a more interesting and volatile week in football coaching in this state. First, Ted Roof goes to UCF as their defensive coordinator to reunite with George O’Leary, whom he coached with at Georgia Tech. Then Jim McElwain goes back to his roots out west to Colorado State to be their head coach. And to cap it off, Gus Malzahn left Auburn to become Arkansas State’s head ball coach. Amazing turn of events.
Roof’s move made sense. Roof and Auburn needed a change. He just couldn’t get through to these players this season for some reason. His defenses have never been great at Auburn, but he seemed to be pretty good at making adjustments at halftime of games last year, the national championship season. I don’t know if the players couldn’t get it this year, or that Roof just couldn’t communicate to them the schemes and motivate them. I think it was a little bit of both. Roof is used to Duke players and Minnesota players; kind of a different intelligence level of athlete. The Auburn players want somebody tough who’ll get after them and just set them up to make plays. Roof and Chiz tried to simplify things with these guys because they just weren’t getting the defensive schemes. Nothing seemed to work. Youth had a good hit to do with it. Maybe it was an inability to grasp the concepts. But then again, maybe Roof didn’t have good schemes and couldn’t fire these guys up. I think it was both. He just couldn’t seem to motivate these guys enough to play at a high level. So change was good for both Roof and Auburn. I’ve heard Chiz has brought a renewed spirit to the defense this week. They seem to be having more fun, flying around. The bowl game will tell us more. We’ll see who Chiz hires. I’ve heard Mark Stoops, dc of Florida State, mostly, as the guy who could take over. Will be an interesting time. There is a lot of talent on defense at least according to Rivals and ESPN rankings. So something needed to be done to get these guys to reach their potential. Maybe the coaching change is what they needed.

Malzahn also wanted a change. He had a tough year with the offense this year, and while I think he loved Auburn, Chiz was getting more involved in the offense and maybe getting under Malzahn’s skin some. He didn’t have a quarterback this year, the line was young and Michael Dyer sounds like he was a major headache. Emory Blake was hurt at critical times and they didn’t throw the ball to Lutz enough. There just weren’t enough playmakers. Next year will be better with a more experienced line, and more receivers who can make an impact. Running back should be loaded even without Dyer, who is probably off the team. I’ve heard impressive things about Florida transfer Mike Blakely. Blakely, 5’9″, 206, sounds like a real player. Power runner with speed. Sounds better than Dyer, who was good, but for some reason, not just tremendous like Trent. He had a couple of good years but turned out to be more trouble than he was worth. Corey Grant should back up Blakely and has great speed and elusiveness. Not big; more like McCalebb. Onterio may be back along with Tre Mason and super freshman T.J. Yeldon, now a five star commit. Yeldon is 6’2′, 2o5, runs a 4.4 40 and is awesome on film at Daphne High School. He may push for a lot of playing time next year. The other freshman back will be Jovon Robinson, a four star out of Memphis, who is 6’1″, 218 and has very good speed. If AU can settle in on Kiehl Frazier and he can show that he can throw the ball downfield some to go along with his tremendous running ability and some playmakers develop along with Blake and Lutz, if both come back, the offense should be a lot better next year. I don’t know about great at the beginning, but could develop well. Trovon Reed needs to step up at wideout. It’s time for him. Others need to step up on the perimeter. That’s important. There will be some young linemen who have developed as redshirts and the guys coming back, particularly center Reese Dismukes, should be excellent next year. Chiz just needs to hire someone who can take advantage of this talent and work with  Frazier and develop him if he’s the man. I’ve heard the oc from Samford is highly thought of and there’s another oc out in Texas, not sure which school, think it’s the old A&M coordinator who might be a possibility.

Defense should be a lot better next year with line back in tact. There is a lot of size and talent there. They should be good next year. Linebackers need to come along, but there is talent. Secondary has good young players, too, just need a leader out there who can motivate and relate to these players and get them to play loose and play smart and tackle better. The cupboard has is pretty full with talent just needs to have someone get the chemistry right and motivate them on both sides of the ball.

McElwain’s departure from the Tide is not that surprising. He’s had a good career in Tuscaloosa in four years and was ready to take the next step if the right job came along and it did for him. He’s done a good job and has been blessed with two outstanding running backs, terrific offensive linemen and Julio. He had a solid, heady quarterback in Greg McElroy, who was a playmaker and did win some games for his teams especially the Florida SEC title game in 2009. McElroy was awesome that game. I thought McElwain brought A.J. along pretty well this year. A.J. made some mistakes in his first season as qb, but he had some good games. He was pretty solid. Gotta figure out LSU though. McElwain will be tested in his last game, which should be a riveting one for the national title. How A.J. plays will go a long way towards determining the outcome. Trent will play a huge role, don’t get me wrong, but A.J. will have to make some plays with his arm. Maze, Hanks, Michael Williams and Smelley will have to step up. Maybe a guy like Kenny Bell or DeAndrew White can make plays and help their team get in the end zone. There will be a lot of Trent both running the ball and in the screen game. Eddie will help. But A.J. will have to make some throws downfield that count. McElwain will be in an epic chess match with his counterpart, John Chavis, dc of LSU. Alabama moved the ball well Nov.5, just had some costly turnovers. They need to get Trent the ball both on the ground AND through the air. I know Trent wants to make a statement in probably his last college game and win his second national championship. He’s been extremely special. It would be nice to see Trent go north of 150 total yards in this game. That could push the Tide over the top. But these two teams played before, they know each other, and there will be adjustments. A.J. will be called on to do something to help his team win. He will have to deliver.

Then McElwain will head out to Fort Collins, Colorado for a new challenge. Who S hires is a mystery. S has so many things to concern himself with right now, that I don’t even know how much he can do as far as getting a new oc in until after the championship game. Maybe he can do some with dead period for recruiting starting Monday. There are plenty of good coaches out there and S will get a quality guy; just not sure if he’s been able to even think about it. He’s trying to win another national championship, so he’s pretty preoccupied with that. He has some good offensive players returning next year; D.J. Fluker’s announcement that he was coming back is a nice surprise. Barrett Jones has gotten his undergrad degree and is working on a graduate degree so not sure what he’ll do. Cyrus and Arie Kouandijo will be back and they’ve got unlimited, awesome potential. Steen and Warmack are underclassmen. The only senior who plays a lot is William Vlachos, but he’s an excellent center. We’ll see who replaces him. A.J. should improve a lot if he can get the mental game of the position down. Phillip Sims and Phillip Ely could be factors at qb as well. and Eddie and Jalston along with Blake Sims and five star freshman Dee Hart, who hurt his knee before the season, will be back. Brent Calloway, if he can get it together after his indefinite suspension, is a four star running back as well. There are a couple of incoming freshmen; Justin Taylor (5.7 three star, 5’10”,205) and four star athlete Kenyan Drake (6’1″, 195) who can either help of be part of the future. So if A.J. can get it done and some of these receivers like White, Duron Carter, Kenny Bell, Marvin Shinn and Danny Woodson can emerge, the offensive coordinator will have a lot to work with. Seems like Boise State OC Brent Pease would be a good choice. Or TCU’s co-offensive coordinator Jarrett Anderson. Really think Pease could do a good job. S will make a good hire. He always does. Defense will be a little rebuilding with loss of Upshaw, Hightower, Barron, Menzie, Chapman and possibly Lester and Dre, though I think Lester should come back, maybe Dre, too. Nico Johnson, C.J. Mosley and Jesse Williams will be leaders along with cornerback Dee Milliner. There is a lot of young talent locked and loaded in the cupboard, but a little reloading is necessary.

Bowl games tomorrow (three of them):

Record: 89-39

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1 P.M. CT., ESPN

Temple (8-4) vs. Wyoming (8-4)

Temple running back Bernard Pierce has rushed for 1,381 yards and 25 touchdowns this season. He was chosen as an All-American by Phil Steele. Wyoming lost to Utah State, 63-19, among their four losses. Their other losses came to Nebraska (38-14), TCU (31-20) and Boise State (36-14). Temple’s losses came to Penn State (14-10), Toledo (36-13), Bowling Green (13-10) and Ohio (35-31). The Cowboys are led on the ground by Alvester Alexander (678 yards and six TDs) and qb Brett Smith (645 yards, 10 TDs). Smith has completed 233-of-385 passes for 2,495 yards and 18 TDs against 8 ints. Chris McNeill leads the Cowboys with 42 receptions for 504 yards and four TDs. Temple has three QBs who have completed 108-of-186 passes  (58.4%) for 1,479 yards and 10 scores against four ints. Linebacker Stephen Johnson leads the Temple defense in tackles with 113. Linebacker Tahir Whitehead has 12 tackles for loss and five sacks. Strong safety Luke Riff leads the Cowboys defense in tackles with 97. Defensive end Gabe Knapton has seven tackles for loss and six sacks.

I look at the two teams common opponent, Bowling Green, and Wyoming beat them by a point, 28-27, and Temple lost by three, 13-10. But I still like Pierce and the running game of Temple and the Temple defense, which is third in the country in scoring defense,  to be the difference.

Temple 24, Wyoming 20

 

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Boise, Idaho, 4:30 P.M. CT, ESPN:

Ohio (9-4) vs. Utah State (7-5)

Auburn fans remember Utah State well as they came within two minutes of upsetting the Tigers in the first game of the season. Auburn prevailed 42-38, but it was an outstanding effort by the Aggies. Aggies’ Linebacker Bobby Wagner has 140 tackles on the season, 10 1/2 tackles for loss and four sacks. Running back Robert Turbin has run for 1,416 yards and 19 TDs. Quarterback Chuckie Keaton has completed 106-of-174 passes for 1,200 yards and 11 TDs against two interceptions. Ohio’s offense is led by running back Donte Harden who has rushed for 939 yards, but only two touchdowns. Quarterback Tyler Tettleton has completed 248-of-389 passes (63.8%) for 3,082 yards, 26 TDs and 10 ints. Linebacker Noah Keller leads the defense with 105 tackles and seven tackles for loss.

I think Frank Solich, the head coach at Ohio, is a nice man, but I’m not sold on him as a coach. He’s good enough to take Ohio to a bowl game most years, but he just seems to not be able to get over the hump in big games. He did it at Nebraska when he was really out of his league there after taking over from the stellar Tom Osborne. In the one common opponent, New Mexico, Ohio beat them, 44-24, and Utah State beat them, 24-21. I like Utah State coach Gary Anderson to get it done over Solich. Aggies win a close one.

Utah State 34, Ohio 31

The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: New Ahlins, La., 8 P.M. CT, ESPN

Louisiana Lafayette (8-4) vs. San Diego State (8-4)

Ronnie Hillman is the man at running back for SDSU having rushed for 1,656 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has a long TD run of 99 yards. He averages 5.8 yards per carry. Quarterback Ryan Lindley completed 209-of-398 passes (52 %) for 2,740 yards and 20 TDs against eight ints. Not a great completion percentage, but Lindley is a pretty productive signal caller. Colin Lockett has 52 catches for 885 yards and five TDs and Gavin Escobar has 47 for 710 and 7 TDs. Linebacker Miles Burris leads the defense with 72 tackles, 19 for loss and eight sacks. DB Larry Parker has seven ints.

Alonzo Harris leads La Lafayette with 638 yards and eight TDs on the ground. Quarterback Blaine Gautier completed 192-304 passes (63%) for 2,488 yards and 20 TD against five ints. Javone Lawson has caught 54 balls for 899 yards and six TDs. Ladarius Green has 46 catches and seven TDs and Darryl Surgent has 25 catches and six scores. The defense is led by linebacker Lance Kelley who has 107 stops on the season, eight and a half tackles for loss and three sacks. Linebacker Devin Lewis-Buchanan has 78 tackles and 10.5 for loss. Defensive end Bernard Smith has 6.5 sacks and the Ragin’ Cajuns have 14 interceptions on the season as a team, 24th best in the country; tied with San Diego State.

In the final analysis, I like SDSU’s offense and defense to do more than La-Lafayette’s. Like Hillman to get north of 120 yards. The Aztecs just seem a little stronger to me than the upstart Ragin’ Cajuns under former North Alabama Coach Mark Hudspeth, who did a terrific job at UNA taking them to the playoffs in Division II football five times in seven years and leading them to the semifinals three times in 2003, 2005 and 2008. He was 66-21 at UNA and then spent two seasons as passing coordinator/receivers coach at Miss. State under Dan Mullen. He’s an up and comer at 43 years old. Could take the Ragin’ Cajuns to consistent bowl games and then maybe move on to a bigger job. But like SDSU in this one. Again, not by much.

San Diego State 42, La. Lafayette 35

(Gus Malzahn, left, and Jim McElwain take head coaching positions.)

 

 

 

Trent, ‘Bama football, AU, basketball, UA, AU and UAB

Tough one for Trent. Had such a stellar year. RGIII’s final performance against Texas put him over the top. Trent ran for 1,583 yards and 20 TDs and caught 27 passes for 327 yards and three TDs. Those were certainly Heisman numbers. RGIII didn’t even come close to playing against the defenses that Trent did. RGIII won the vote in the South which was surprising. But Trent won the Doak Walker, a very distinguished honor and has a chance to win his second national title as a Tider and possibly be the top player picked in the draft. He should be at least in the top 5. So there are a lot of good things ahead for Trent. Proud of Barrett for winning the Outland Trophy and Carson Tinker made a phenomenal speech in accepting the team Sprit Award. He’s a terrific kid. Looking forward to seeing how Barrett does in the draft if he does go. Could be a first rounder as well. But he could very easily, knowing him, come back for his senior season. I’d say it’s 60-40 he comes back. He might want to improve his stock for the 2013 draft and play another year for Tide and get that degree; though he probably will have it after this semester. He’s a bright kid who really cares about school. Seems to love it in Tuscaloosa, also. We’ll see. There could be five or six Tide first rounders. This group is loaded.
Now it’s time to start thinking about Jan.9. Should be a classic. ‘Bama owes Honey Badger, Claiborne, Spencer Ware and Jordan Jefferson a payback. Should be another thriller and one Tide fans will be on the edge of their seats during.

Looks like Kirby Smart will stay with ‘Bama. Jim McElwain may go to be the head coach at Fresno State. His offenses have been solid, not dynamic. He’s a good coach, don’t get me wrong, but he is probably more replaceable than Kirby is. He’s had a couple of all world running backs that’s for sure and impressive offensive lines. He’s solid, but I’m sure S can find another good OC if McElwain leaves. Pretty sure Kirby will be back. Doesn’t look like there is a job that he will be highly interested in after Texas A&M hired Kevin Sumlin from Houston. Kirby was in the final three for that job.

There will be talent, albeit some young, next year. Going to lose some good players. Hightower, Upshaw, Harris, Chapman, Barron, Menzie and possibly ‘Dre and Lester, but should have some good players back. Some good young ones led by  C.J. Mosley, Trey DePriest, Nico, Jesse Williams and some incoming guys who should and will have to be good. May take a little time to develop, but the defense, under Kirby, will be good at some point next season. I’m sure S and Kirby are hoping sooner rather than later. Will miss some of these studs though; that’s for sure.But have one monumental clash left. A national title could solidify another tops in the country recruiting class and get the Tide ready for another successful season in 2012. A.J. will be even better next year. There are some losses on the oline. Eddie L will be back along with Jalston Fowler, Blake Sims and some younger guys. Not sure if frosh Brent Callaway will make it back. He’d help at rb. So there is some rebuilding/reloading to do. Should be an interesting recruiting finish and spring.

Michael Dyer getting suspended is pretty shocking. He seems like a decent kid. Sounds like something is up with his attitude. Very surprising. Not sure what he did. Could have been substance related, grades or just a bad attitude. Hopefully it’s not a huge deal going forward. Dyer needs to get it together because there are going to be some stellar running backs on the roster this spring and in fall workouts and he’s going to have some serious competition. He may even get beaten out. There is a good chance of that the way things are going now. We’ll see Onterio get some more carries in the Chick Fil A and Tre Mason get a shot. Think Tre is a good player. He could take advantage of this. McCalebb will do a good job. He always does. AU needs to beat Virginia to get 2012 headed in the right direction. AU recruiting well, and there is a lot of young talent coming back on both sides of the ball, so they need to start 2012 with a bowl victory. No word on DC. Heard Everett Withers name again. And Mark Stoops at Florida State. Stoops would be a good hire.

Will have a lot on bowls including predictions in the upcoming weeks starting Friday with picks of the New Mexico bowl pitting Temple and Wyoming, the New Orleans Bowl (San Diego State vs. Louisiana Lafayette) and the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl (Florida International vs Marshall.) Plenty of research to do this week. Record is 89-39 (70%). Would like to get it to 75% at the end of the season.

‘Bama beat Detroit in bball last night, 62-54. The big guys in the middle did a good job with JaMychal Green leading the way with 21 points. Tony Mitchell added 15 and freshman Nick Jacobs had 13. But the Tide only shot two-of-15 from behind the arc. That has to improve. They’ve been struggling  there, so there needs to be improvement in the shooting from three if the Tide wants to really make a run this season. The defense keeps them in it and can win it for them most games, but need some help from outside shooting to really make a deep run this year. Solid team which could be great with improved shooting. Tide now 8-2 and ranked 15th. Play Kansas State at Kansas City, Saturday, on ESPNU. Kansas State 6-1 with their only loss coming to West Virginia, 85-80, in double OT. They’ve got votes in the poll. They’re probably a typical solid K State team. Will have more on them later in the week.

Auburn is 4-1 and have a couple of players coming in Dec. 15 who could help. Have a 7 footer coming in who could really help in the middle. AU’s got a chance to be better. Whether they can make the tourney will be tough. They’ve got to bear down defensively that’s for sure. AU plays South Florida at home this Wednesday at 8:30 PM on CSS and ESPN3. South Florida is 6-4 and lost to Kansas recently, 70-42. So AU’s got a good shot to go to 5-1.

UAB won last Wednesday, 66-56, over Middle Tn, and played much better. Still have issues trying to get a solid starter at point guard. Now 2-6. Play at VCU on Tues, Dec. 20, 6:30 PM. No TV yet. Probably ESPN3.

Trent, Barrett and Carson; AU in 2012

(The tragedy, Trent, top; Barrett (left) and Carson (right) at bottom.
If you missed the Home Depot College Football Awards Show at DisneyWorld last night, it was something special. Trent won the Doak Walker Award for the best running back in the nation, Barrett Jones won the Outland Trophy award for the nation’s top lineman and Carson Tinker represented the team with Trent, Barrett and Mark B. standing by for the Disney Sports Spirit Award.

These guys are special. The story yesterday in The Birmingham News was an amazing piece on Trent. I would recommend reading it. He’s something else. Trent just says man I’m playing for my two daughters. He says getting out of Pensacola without getting shot or getting thrown in prison was a victory in itself in the story. What he’s gone through and survived and persevered through is pretty amazing stuff. What a special guy. He’ s the best football player in the country, too, without a doubt. He may not win the Heisman because of RG III’s performance last Saturday, but Trent is certainly deserving. In my heart, I want Trent to win it, and just by watching a ton of football this year, Trent, to me, is the best player in the country. RGIII may have put up tremendous numbers, but if you look at the competition, Trent played against far superior defenses and he was a dominant, game-changing player. RGIII got in the last piece of work last Saturday and had a good showing throwing for 320 and accounting for four touchdown, but Trent’s performance in big games (Arkansas, Penn State, Ole Miss, LSU (pretty good game), Miss. State and Auburn) were Heisman performances. His play against AU, though AU’s defense struggled this year with a lot of youth, was something special. He’s a special player who I hope can make a lot of money in the NFL and have a tremendous career. He’s been a great representative of the University and deserves another national championship this season to cap off a stellar career.

Many people said to me two years ago that as great as Mark Ingram was, and Mark is a special player and guy, Trent was even better. I fought it a little bit at first because I loved Mark, but I have to agree today. Trent’s power, his elusiveness and his speed are just a little better than Mark’s. And that’s saying a lot. Mark is going to be a great professional for the New Orleans Saints and he was one special player for the Tide. But Trent is the Cam of running backs. A guy you have once every five to ten years. He’s not like Bo or Herschel; he’s a different style of runner from them. But to me, his legacy is just as great. Trent wasn’t featured as much as those guys, because S’s style is to utilize all of his talented players, so Trent’s numbers weren’t as gaudy as say Bo’s or Herschel’s, but his impact should be forever etched in Tide history. He’s such a class act, too. I love RGIII. I know he got a little caught in the moment and said a couple of things after the Texas game last Saturday that he probably regretted like “I think we brought the Heisman home to Baylor.” That’s not like him. He’s a pretty humble guy usually. I think RGII will probably win it, but I think Trent deserves it more. It’s not over; there could be a surprise. This is not clear cut. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens tomorrow night at NYC at 7 PM on ESPN.

Barrett is another very special young man. When Chris Fowler of ESPN asked him about playing the violin very well, Barrett said, “I wish you hadn’t mentioned that.” It was pretty hilarious. You talk about a class act. Barrett has done mission trips to Haiti and helped mightily with the tornado relief effort in Tuscaloosa. S can’t say enough good things about Barrett. What a young man and what a football player.He was the leader along with William Vlachos of a stellar offensive line that helped Trent have a huge year. And Barrett said that Trent made the line look pretty good, too. Just a humble, class act.

Finally, and maybe most importantly because it was a team award, Carson Tinker accepted the Disney Spirit Award for the team in honor of the team’s support for the city of Tuscaloosa after the horrendous tragedy of April 27. There was a video of Carson and S talking about that terrible day when Carson lost his beloved girlfriend in that tragic F-4 tornado, one of many that ravaged the great state of Alabama. It was a highly moving piece by Tom Rinaldi of ESPN. It was a highly emotional, moving piece and that brought tears to my wife and my eyes. Carson accepted the award with grace and dignity and couldn’t have represented himself, his teammates, his coach and the ‘Bama nation any better. He also said his team is looking forward to representing  the Alabama fans one more time in New Orleans. He was saying in other words we’re ready to kick some tail in the Superdome on Jan.9.

S was classy in his interview with Herbie and Corso. What a program S has built. He’s amazing.

I’m starting to shift my thoughts to a ‘Bama victory in the national title game. I just think this team has been on a mission all year. S says this team has more character than maybe any team he’s ever coached. How they’ve come forward and helped the city of Tuscaloosa and represented Tide fans in Ttown and throughout the state has been a positive, moving, powerful thing for everybody who loves their football team. They’re  just a special group.

I think Trent and the Honey Badger of LSU are the best two players in the country, but if I’d have a Heisman vote, I’d vote for Trent. Character should tip the scales for Trent between him and Tyrann Mathieu. Mathieu has been an amazing game changer for the Bengal Tigers, but he’s been caught smoking pot and he made an incredibly dirty play on Dre Kirkpatrick in the Nov.5 game when he clotheslined him and took him out with a slight concussion. That just doesn’t represent what college football if about to me. Trent will prove in the national championship game who is the better player. He’s proven that he is the best character person of the two. Now he’ll prove it again in New Orleans. Like the Tide to get it done. Will have a full preview and prediction in early January. But I like Trent, Barrett, Carson and Mark B. to get it done. The Tide had it on Nov. 5 in Tuscaloosa, but some kicking problems and Marquis’s pass which was just a little late and Michael Williams inability to haul it in kept the Tide from being the best team in the country in the BCS poll right now.

I’m not knocking Marquis or Michael, they’re great players. It was just so close. LSU is a great football team, don’t get me wrong. I’m really looking forward to an even more epic game this time. I think the national media likes LSU to win. That, to me, is where the Tide is at its best. LSU is not favored like Miami was heavily in 1993 the Tide when the Tide killed  them to win the national title. It’s more like Florida two years ago in Tebow’s senior year when most people were picking the Gators and the Tide crushed them. A. J.needs to be good. Defense will be fine. Trent will be Trent. Eddie will do his thing. Marquis can return one in the punt return game and receivers need to be good. Like the Tide to get’er done. Think they will.

AU looking for a defensive coordinator. Not sure who that will be yet. Names like Ellis Johnson have emerged. Everett Withers of UNC is another. Withers coached UNC this year, but they hired Larry Fedora of Southern Miss so Withers will be looking for a job. Another possibility is Randy Shannon, the former Miami head coach. While he didn’t have a great success as a head coach, he’s a fine defensive coordinator and a good recruiter. Tracy Rocker is another guy who could be a candidate.Chiz needs to make more of an imprint on the defense as well. Looks like he’ll do that in the bowl game.

Ted Roof ‘s and AU’s parting ways were good for both parties. Auburn needs to get better on defense. There is a lot of young talent that needs to be directed well. I think a new DC could make this defense very good next year. The dline is all young and coming back. There needs to be some better play at linebacker, but getting Kris Frost back next year, who was a five star frosh coming in this year who hurt his shoulder and was out for the season, will help. Need some of the  older guys like Jonathan Evans, Darren Bates and Jake Holland to step up next year and younger guys like Harris Gaston and Jawara White need to step up their play in practice and get on the field. Like the future of the secondary. Hopefully,. T’Sharvin Bell can get back to his All- SEC form next season. If he does, he should have a stellar senior season. Like young guys like Chris Davis, Jonathan Rose and Jermaine Whitehead is a stud. The defense will be better.

The running back position should be locked and loaded with a stable full of phenomenal talent with Michael Dyer back along with guys who transferred Corey Grant from Alabama and Mike Blakely from Florida. Those three are awesome talents. Then you have Tre Mason and Quan Bray. Both will be big time impact players in the return game. Throw in freshmen T.J. Yeldon, a five star running back who I’ve watched and is special, and four star Jovon Robinson and this backfield will be loaded with talent. Line is young and will be a good unit next year with most everybody coming back and with some talented freshmen who were redshirted this year. I’m excited to see Christian Westerman play. Think he’ll be a stud at tackle.At wide out, Emory Blake should come back for his senior season. That’s not a guarantee yet, but I would think with him getting hurt this year, he may need another year to prove to the scouts that he’ll be an impact player on Sundays. That would be big for the team. Trovon Reed will be back. Jaylon Denson from Hoover looks like he’ll be a player. Travante Stallworth and DeAngelo Benton will be back. They need to prove themselves next year. Both have talent. C.J. Uzomah should be an impact player either at tight end or out wide. And Lutz should be back, which would be huge.

It’s the quarterback that will be the key position as it is most of the time. It’s gotta be Kiehl Frazier. He threw for 10,000 yards in high school. They’ve got to give him a shot to throw the ball. We know he can run. AU just needs to have Cam-like packages for Kiehl and let him play. If Kiehl plays well, the Tigers should be in good shape. The schedule shapes up a lot better, too, with Arkansas, LSU and Georgia coming to the Plains.

AU needs to get off a good start to 2012 with a nice bowl win over Virginia in the Chick Fil  A Bowl  on New Year’s Eve. That would get the guys jump started for 2012.

Excited about this weekend to see if Trent can pull it out and excited for bowl games especially Jan.9 Thinking about recruiting and next year, too. Will have plenty on recruiting and Tide, Tiger and Blazers basketball in the upcoming months. Plenty to talk about.

Jerry Sandusky: Two more victims

This is very disturbing grand jury testimonies from two more victims of this animal, psychopath, Jerry Sandusky. It’s graphic, I warn you. Very sad for these victims. I said earlier that I thought Sandusky should get the death penalty. I still think he should though that won’t happen. He’s accused of sexually molesting 10 boys now. He’s a pig and should pay the ultimate price for ruining at least 10 boys’ lives. There probably will be more come forward.
Sandusky:

Brian Mackin secures slam dunk with Garrick McGee

You would think the first thing new UAB football coach Garrick McGee would talk about in his opening press conference as the fourth football coach in UAB history is about winning conference championships and going to bowl games. That’s not McGee. McGee talked about character, graduating his kids and being the best you can be. He feels like if his players do that, the conference titles and bowl games will follow.
He said if a young man does the right things off the field: goes to class, studies, is a solid citizen, he won’t fumble late in a game and will make the clutch play instead of a costly play. McGee is a man of high character and integrity and just what this program needs. UAB AD Brian Mackin, President Garrison and others asked McGee the tough questions about graduating players, instilling character in the kids and McGee was impressed by that. He wanted to be in Birmingham. Mackin and company worked hard and succeeded in landing the perfect fit for the University.

I spoke with quarterback Jonathan Perry, a highly talented player and high character young man. He said the players were charged up by McGee’s speech to them in the lockerroom before McGee spoke to the media and the UAB fans. He impressed Perry and motivated him even more than he already is. Most of the team was at  the press conference and the players looked charged up and ready to get to work both on and off the field.

McGee said he looked in the lockerroom and saw a lot of high character guys. Neil Callaway may not have had great success on the football field, but he had a lot of success off the field reinstilling character in the lockerroom. McGee picked up on that. Callaway did a good job in a lot of areas. Unfortunately, his won-loss record wasn’t enough to keep him around for a sixth year, but he’s a solid coach and person and hopefully will land on his feet somewhere. McGee has inherited a pretty good team.

Four out of five starters on the offensive line will have to be replaced and the defense loses a couple of players but not many. Perry and his group of playmakers will return. If the young offensive line can come together, it should be an exciting team on the Southside. If the defense gets better, it could be a good season and a possible bowl for the Blazers.

McGee runs a quarterback-based offense. He has been the offensive coordinator at Arkansas for the last two years and developed both Ryan Mallett and Tyler Wilson into All-SEC quarterbacks. Mallett is on the New England Patriots right now and Wilson will be on an NFL roster in a couple of years and should be a starter in the NFL before too long. Mallett may be one one day as well. McGee played quarterback his junior and senior seasons at Oklahoma in the early, mid 90’s and threw for almost 2,500 yards. He knows the position. Perry, who was quite a player this year, will flourish under McGee’s guidance. McGee said he will have an attacking defense. That’s exciting to hear.

Conference USA will be going through some changes as Houston, SMU and UCF have been invited to join the Big East. UAB needs to do something about their conference. C-USA can add some teams and still make it a competitive conference. We’ll see what happens to those three  teams. UAB may need to go to another conference. With the ever changing conference landscape, it will be important for the Blazers to position themselves well. But I like what they’ve done in hiring McGee. Class act, great football coach. Coached the Jacksonville Jaguars receivers for a couple of years and was Northwestern’s offensive coordinator for a couple of years. He can really develop receivers and the UAB wideouts can flourish under him as well. Arkansas has had some pretty successful running backs under him including Knile Davis and Dennis Johnson, so he can do well with young ones Darrin Reeves and Greg Franklin among others. He’ll hire his assistants soon. He wants to have a defensive coordinator in place by this weekend and maybe another coach, so he and they can go out and recruit. UAB has 15 commits right now and they want to solidify those guys and add 10 more.

McGee was asked if the facilities were adequate to win in conference play. He said the facilities were in place to win and once he started winning championships, he’d go back to the administration, “and ask for more.”

Class guy, great hire by Mackin. Now if the Board of Trustees can just come through and give UAB the stadium it so desperately deserves, this program could excel. Conference stability will be important as well. I’m sure Mackin is studying that thoroughly.  It may take McGee winning a championship at UAB before the Board, a heavily populated University of Alabama group, gets the push it needs to do the right thing and let UAB build a stadium. It’s the right thing to do.

UAB’s got the right guy in place. Blazer fans will be happy with Garrick McGee. His players will excel on and off  the field. Congratulations to Brian Mackin and President Garrison for a tremendous hire. The Blazer Nation deserves it.

(Garrick McGee will lead the UAB football program to new heights.)

LeBron: It’s OK to be a Nice Guy

LeBron James went on ESPN two nights ago and talked to reporter Rachel Nichols about some of his regrets about the way he handled leaving Cleveland. He said he regretted leaving the fans and that if he was a fan of a great athlete in his city and the athlete left him/her there would be a sense of betrayal. LeBron understood that and said he was sorry for how it happened. He  said he thought the way he handled his departure from Cleveland in “The Decision,” was a mistake.
It was a very honest interview by the superstar for the Miami Heat. I’ve always thought LeBron was a nice guy, good person who has always been misunderstood. I’ve always liked him a lot and have admired his basketball skills. He’s made some errors in judgment in some of the things he’s said and done like saying he wanted to dunk over President Bush; that was disrespectful. But I cut him some slack. He’s a young man and young men, particularly in the public eye like professional athletes, are going to say some things they probably regret. I’m sure he regrets that comment. But he’s a good guy and I’ve forgiven him for the way he handled “The Decision.” I remember watching him play in Cleveland last year. The fans were booing him while the Cavs were beating the Heat, he looked to be almost in tears. This was his home state; the place he grew up in. He was born in Akron, but had been a Cleveland Cavalier for eight years. He is a sensitive, and I’d say, nice person.

Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith, whom I both like and enjoy watching at night on ESPN’s First Take, were pretty hard on ‘Bron yesterday. A. said he’s acting like a superstar but hasn’t done anything yet–he hasn’t won an NBA title. Skip said he’s just not mentally tough. Well, maybe ‘Bron is just really a nice, sensitive guy. He’s a competitor; there is no doubt about it. I’ve watched him play. He’s relentless and tough. But off the court, it’s OK for him to be a nice guy. What’s wrong with that? And it’s OK to be a nice guy on the court and in that I mean respectful of your opponent, congratulating your opponent when they win and being humble in defeat. Nobody likes to lose, but losing with grace and dignity is the right thing to do. Acting like a poor loser is not the way to act. You can not like losing, but you’ve got to be a mature man, and handle it with class.

John Wooden was one of the nicest, kindest, gentle men to ever coach in sports. I read a powerful quote by him one time. The Wizard of Westwood said,”You should never try to be better than someone else, but you should never cease to try to be the best you can be.” John Wooden was a genuinely nice person. Did he have success? How about 10 national championships in 12 years at UCLA, seven national titles in a row and 88 straight wins; an alltime record. Anything wrong with Wooden being a nice guy?

Of course, Wooden and now LeBron were and are intense competitors. I’ll give a smaller example of how I treat a golf round with a friend or if I’m in a tournament. I’m so focused on playing the course, as they say, that I don’t think about beating my opponent. I’m just trying to be the best I can be. I want to complement and respect my playing partner or opponent. I’ll encourage them when they hit a good shot or make a putt. That’s the way it should be. Golf is competitive, but it’s a gentleman’s game and should be treated that way. Being the best you can be is important, but showing class and respecting your playing partner or opponent is just as important.

There are tremendous competitors out there like Nick Saban, Coach K and Bill Belichick. They are terrific coaches. But I bet they feel better about themselves when they compete with class. Don’t get me wrong they want to win; all competitors do. But when they’ll look back on their careers they want to be remembered for the relationships they had with their players and the impact they had. They’re strong, tough and relentless, but they’re decent people.

LeBron is a good guy, a nice guy. I really like him and always have. “The Decision” was exciting for me, but I was hoping he would have stayed in Cleveland. LeBron regrets the way he handled it, and told Nichols so in the interview. It’s OK to show some vulnerability. I think people like you better when you do that. And it’s OK to be a nice guy. You can be an intense competitor in the arena or the stadium, but you can also be a good sport and you can show integrity and be respectful of your opponent on the court or inside the stadium. That’s a good thing. It’s a spiritual thing. That’s the way the Lord wants you to act.

The thing about nice guys finishing last is a bunch of baloney. There are millions of nice guys who are winners. How about Drew Brees, who is one of the classiest, nicest guys you’ll ever want to meet. He’s done OK. Super Bowl champion in 2009 and looking to be a Super Bowl champion in 2011. The Packers will definitely have a say in that, but Drew and the Saints are in definite contention. And he’s got plenty of good years left as he’s 31. If you have read Drew’s book Coming Back Stronger, you have read what a class act he is and what a good person he is. He helps the city of New Orleans in many ways and helped in rebuilding the city physically and spiritually through his play in 2006. And, yes, he’s a very nice guy.

Tim Tebow is another one. Just a nice person, Christian guy. Many doubters in the media and in the public have lined up  to criticize Tim for his Christian beliefs and his play at quarterback. Well, he’s 6-1 as a starter and hasn’t lost any of his humility and his decency.

LeBron is a nice person. And I see him winning some championships alongside his two teammates, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.Chris is another very nice, respectful person who has been roundly criticized by sportswriters and commentators like Bayless who has called him “Bosh Spice,” since he came to the Heat. Chris actually went on the show and Skip explained to him why he called him that. Chris handled it with grace and dignity. He’s a thoughtful guy who played at Georgia Tech, a fine academic institution. He said to Skip that it bothered his family a lot more than it bothered him. He also said that Skip’s name for him “motivated him.” He never attacked Skip verbally, just handled it with decency and grace. He’s a fine basketball player and had a very good finals last year, so I expect Chris, ‘Bron and DWade to be very motivated this season.

Nice people finish first all the time. I think Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are nice guys. Trent Richardson and RGIII are nice guys. They are the ultimate warriors, but they’re class guys off the field. All four of those guys are. So I can make an argument that nice guys are better competitors than the rough, cantankerous guys. Nice guys keep  their cool. They execute better. You always compete better when you’re calm and focused than when you’re angry. I think you lose your focus when you’re angry. Your emotions get the best of you.

LeBron could be the next nice guy to win it all. More importantly, he’s showing his maturity and decency for making mistakes in the past and admitting them. He’s a good guy and I wish him the best. He deserves it. He’s worked hard, tried to be the best he could be and admitted his mistakes to the national public. It’s OK to be nice. As a matter of fact, it’s an asset. People like nice people. You can be a great competitor on the floor and be a nice guy off of it. I think you’ll like yourself better if you are.

(LeBron is a nice person who is somewhat misunderstood.)

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